A Really Quick Guide to Magic Inscriptions

There are a number of special things you can inscribe (with the { command) on your equipment and inventory to make playing Angband more convenient.

Definitions

n is a number from 0-9

c is a command from the underlying command set. (Almost, but not completely, like the orginial command set, which uses some keymaps so you don't need to know that ; is the walk command, and such. See the help file command.txt for these.)

Inscriptions

!c - Ask for confirmation when you select this item to use with command c.

!* - Ask for confirmation when you select this item to use with any command.

@n - When you type n at a what object? prompt for any command, use this item. (If more than one item has this inscription, it uses the first one.)

@cn - As above, but only when selecting objects for command c.

For both of these, if the first matching inscription in your inventory is an illegal choice, it will stop there, not go on to a legal one.

These two are especially useful in macros, since they allow you to make a macro to use rod 2, for instance, and not have to worry about what inventory slot it is currently in. Or, for making macros of spells, it causes the macro to fail if all your copies of the appropriate book are destroyed, moving a different book into the same slot.

^c - While this item is equipped, ask for confirmation of command c.

=g - Pick this item up when you step on it.

Examples

@q1

Use this as item 1 when quaffing a potion.

@m1!d!k!v

Use this as item 1 when casting a spell. Ask for confirmation before dropping, destroying, or throwing the item. This is probably your first spellbook.

@m1@b1@G1!d!k!v

As above, but it is also item 1 when browsing your spellbooks or gaining new spells.

@w0^;^.

Use this as item 0 when weilding. Ask for confirmation before walking (;) or running (.) with this item equipped. This is probably your shovel or pick. (The game attaches the command w0 to the 'X' key by default, so you can swap between your shovel and weapon by inscribing both with @w0.)

@z0!*

Use this as item 0 when zapping a rod. Ask for confirmation before doing anything with this item, including zapping it. This is probably your Rod of Recall.

!*!*!*!*!*

Ask for confirmation five times before doing anything with this item. I don't know what this is, but you're worried about accidents.